Campion AP Lit

        One of the first things that stood out to me while reading the first section of  When the Emperor was Divine was the decision of the author, Julie Otsuka, to omit the names of the characters, simply addressing them as "the woman," "the girl," or "the boy." There are plenty of reasons why Otsuka may have made this decision, and ultimately, we will never know without her outright explanation. Nevertheless, Otsuka's decision is a unique one, and one that most definitely was meant to serve a greater purpose in the understanding of the novel. Thus, my goal in this blog is to speculate as why Otsuka may have made such a radical literary move...         One possible reason for this decision is to take a step towards presenting the characters of the novel through the lens of American society. The Japanese population was not seen for their individual identities by the majority of the American people, seeing them instead as mere members of a threatening

     Toni Morrison's Nobel Lecture itself is a feat in language. In an attempt to portray the power of language using sophisticated language itself, Morrison is taking on a difficult task. And to make it even more impressive: she does this all through the vessel of dialogue. What fascinated me most about Morrison's lecture was her use of a conversation between an old blind woman and a group of children to demonstrate her point about the unique power of language. This rhetorical decision highlights the generational disconnect that exists in language, as young people are looking to their elders for guidance on how to use their language for good but cannot help but see the horrors the language of their generation has provoked. Morrison writes, "Do you think we are stupid enough to perjure ourselves again and again with the fiction of nationhood? How dare you talk to us of duty when we stand waist deep in the toxin of your past?" Language has immense power, and how can th

     Off the bat, Cholly is portrayed as the villain, and rightfully so. After all, what could possibly be more villainous than impregnating your own daughter? No amount of childhood trauma or difficult life situations could ever begin to justify what Cholly did, as incest is by nature unjustifiable and despicable. However, Morrison refuses to take the easy road of strict condemnation. While it would have been easy for Morrison to finalize Cholly Breedlove's characterization as an evil rapist solely by examining his perverted actions, Morrison decides to broaden her scope and tell the entire story of Cholly Breedlove, providing context for his actions. While Morrison doesn't attempt to provide justification for Cholly's actions, she does wish to give the reader an explanation as to what put Cholly in the mental state to consider such an act, making a point about the detrimental impacts of American society on the mental sanity of black people during this time period.     To

 One thing that stood out to me while reading the first section of The Bluest Eye was a certain metaphor Morrison uses to demonstrate the social situation of African-Americans, and specifically Pecola, during the time period of the novel. While walking down Garden Avenue to a grocery store where she can buy candy, Pecola comes across a bunch of dandelions surrounding a telephone pole. Pecola remarks on the fact that these flowers that she saw as beautiful are considered weeds, being exterminated to adhere to the proper image of a residential lawn. Pecola goes on to discuss how dandelions are used for practical purposes, but never admired for their beauty. Morrison writes, "But they do not want the yellow heads--only the jagged leaves. They make dandelion soup. Dandelion wine. Nobody loves the head of a dandelion. Maybe because they are so many, strong, and soon" (47). Morrison is using the dandelion as a metaphor for black women in American society, such as Pecola, who are us

 After reading the first section of The Bluest Eye, I was introduced to a plethora of new characters and placed into a 19th century society filled with misery and despair in the Midwestern black community. One key character I was introduced to was Pecola, the intimidated product of the hate and reproach her family received. Pecola blames this blatant mistreatment on her self-defining ugliness, as kids in school ignore her due to her hideous appearance. However, what Pecola fails to acknowledge behind the mask of her ugliness is that the true reason for her mistreatment is her blackness, and more precisely, her family's socioeconomic status.       The Breedlove family is not your average black, mid-western family. While most black families would be considered lower class during this time period, the Breedloves took it a step farther, living in a rotting storefront filled with mangled furniture and an overwhelming sense of joylessness. According to Morrison, "They lived there be

“People wonder why the novel is the most popular form of literature; people wonder why it is read more than books of science or books of metaphysics. The reason is very simple; it is merely that the novel is more true than they are.”-G.K. Chesteron This quote piqued my curiosity. According to Chesterton, a famous writer and philosopher, the novel, or works of fiction in general, provide more overall value to the reader than fact-filled non-fiction reads, as they allow readers to see into a world in which they do not already reside. This made me ask myself: what if Kavalier and Clay was non-fiction? What if Joe Kavalier and Sammy Clay were real people, with real families and real stories? Say the facts were the same, the real-life story identically matched the one told in the story, would it still have the same impact on the reader? The short answer is no. First of all, Kavalier and Clay's existence as a work of fiction gives it a sense of distance from the real world, allowing read